Brazil: geographical position of the country, characteristics
Brazil is a country located in the westernhemisphere between meridians 34º47'30 "and 73º59'32" and parallels 5º16'20 "north latitude and 33º44'42" south latitude. 90% of the country is located in the southern hemisphere.
The main characteristic of Brazil
What is the geographical position of Brazil? The country occupies half of the South American continent. It belongs to the fifth place in the world in terms of the area of the territory. At the same time, Brazil borders almost all countries of South America, with the exception of Chile and Ecuador. From the east the country is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Brazil combines 26 states, the number of which on the flag is celebrated by the stars.
- Total area of the territory: 8 514 thousand square kilometers.
- The length of the land border: 15,719 km.
- The length of the Atlantic coast: 7,491 km.
Coast
With the exception of the mouth of the Amazon, the oceanicThe coast is extremely small, and there are small islands along it. Only the archipelagos of Fernando de Noronha, Trinidad and Martin Vassa have a remote geographic location. Brazil belongs to the world championship in the length of the beach of Praia do Cassino (250 km).
Climate
Located near the equator of Brazil, the geographical position of which determines the presence of the tropical climate, in the more remote from the equator southern regions the climate is already moderate.
Relief
Despite the huge size of the country, the relief of itsnot too diverse. There are no high mountain ranges. The highest point is the summit of Cerro de la Neblin (2994 m). The country is located on two highlands: Brazilian and Guiana, the most ancient on the planet. A large part of the territory is occupied by the Amazon plain (4.5 million sq. Km).
Economic and geographical location
Brazil is characterized by the type of economy, inlargely dependent on exports. The main exporters are the neighboring states of South America, the EU countries, the USA and China. Despite the fact that the country's territory is one of the largest in the world, and its economy is significantly developed, per capita income is low and places Brazil in a number of poor countries.
The most important component of the country's economy is theagricultural sector. The geographical position of Brazil, briefly described above, the climate of the country stipulate fertile conditions for the fertility of lands. In agriculture, 20% of the population is employed, although its share in GDP is only 5%. However, agriculture provides an opportunity for the successful operation of agro-industries, the share of which is already 35% of GDP.
It is believed that the first model of useland by type of plantation was Brazil. The geographical position of the first plantations is described precisely in the territory of this country. Since ancient times, agriculture has been export oriented, and domestic consumption has been growing slowly. Coffee, orange juice, corn, soy, sugar, tobacco and cigarettes, cellulose and paper, meat of cattle, pigs and poultry are the main products that Brazil produces.
Geographical location, climate and availability of riverscaused the formation of huge forests with the highest quality wood, but high-quality trees in the rainforest are only a few acres, but they are difficult to obtain in impenetrable Brazilian selva. It is because of increasing the profitability of growing wood that wild forests are cleaned of "useless" plants and thus destroyed. The most popular varieties of cultivated trees are acai, cashew, Brazil nuts, Paraguayan holly (mate), pine nuts,
Another important agricultural sectoris cattle breeding. For the most part, it is developed in the central and western regions of the country. Most often bred cattle, in second place is breeding pigs (in the south of the country), then - sheep (in the north-east and south of the country).
Minerals and minerals are also richBrazil. The geographic location of the main deposits of minerals (gold, magnesium, nickel, iron, chromium and cobalt) is the south-east of the country. Also in Brazil there are oil fields. However, most of the reserves of natural resources are not used yet.
Brazil's industry contributes 30% of the country's GDP. The main surge in industrial development occurred in the 1960s, thanks to the import substitution program. The main industrial cities of Brazil are São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte, and after the discovery of the oil field, Salvador was added to them.
In the country, relatively cheap labor, so thereenterprises of transnational corporations are developing. Metallurgy, motor industry, aircraft building, shipbuilding, chemical industry, especially oil processing and rubber production, agro-industry, fabrication, furniture and building materials are best developed.
A significant share of the economy is occupied by the sectorservice. However, with the exception of the tourism and financial sectors, this sector is at a low level. The situation is best in the center and in the south of the country (on the coast), that is, in the most densely populated areas. As for tourism, Brazil is the most popular country in South America among tourists. Most often come here from Europe and the US to relax on the beaches, see the beauty of the Amazon and have fun during the famous Brazilian carnivals.